Bar League

measureman

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been playing for for 50 years and tonight will be my first time playing in a Bar league.I always considered bar players as bangers that were there more for the drinking and socializing then to play serous pool.
Well tonight i find out and will report back.
 
measureman said:
I have been playing for for 50 years and tonight will be my first time playing in a Bar league.I always considered bar players as bangers that were there more for the drinking and socializing then to play serous pool.
Well tonight i find out and will report back.
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And then you will find out that all those 50 years, that you were right!!! :grin:
 
poolhustler, how many bar table tournaments have you won? Ever competed in any?
 
measureman, I hope you have fun. I hope you do not pass judgment until you play some of the best teams. Some teams are just the way you all described them, but some are very good shooters and very serious about their game.
 
I play in two bar leagues, for 20+ years , and I used to drink and have a good time but I still cared about winning and played to win. Now 20 years later I don't drink anymore but few on the team do, but never in access that they cant play, at least most of the time:rolleyes:. But I can tell you there are alot of dominent teams and players around all over in the bar leagues, so you may be surprised. Hope you have fun !!<<<ED
 
OK i've got my first bar league night over and i survived.
It was a run down gritty bar with 5 near new Valley tables with great but slow cloth. Lots of near new peices of chauk. They played country music(not my favorite)at ear spliiting volume(will take ear plugs next week)
It cost $15 to join the league and $8 plus $2.25 in quarters to play.I got a free 1/2 time drink (bourbon and coke).
My first game i broke and made nothing and my opponent ran out!
I then won my next 4 games.
Overall the people i played were freindly and really tried to win.
My skill level is way above what i saw last night.The scoring is done on a points system and i hope i don't get barred from playing.I don't know if they can do that.The person that ran the table was a women and some of the drunks gave me some heat about that. I asked each one if they would like to post a $100 and i would play her a race to 5. They then shut up and left me alone. So all in all it was fun and i'm going to go every tues night.
 
Way to go measureman, lol. I for got to tell you the bar league's aren't a place to consintrate on every shot. A few of the places I have played at were very similar, And then some where nice places and then you will see some places with very nice tables and then you will see some of the worst you could have possibly imagined. I ran into one of those last thursday league , and then again last nights also. But you just have to be able to adapt. One good thing in the leagues I play in is there is no handicaps and it's all heads up shooting so most of the time the better shooter come out on top, oh wait till you match up agaisnt one of those people that really aren't very capable and unintentionally leave you safe every other shot, And still dont have a clue what they have just done ,:rolleyes: , Im sure you will run into those this year to. Well good luck this year and have a good time <<<ED
 
20 yrs ago I thought bar leagues were fun/cool, but I've gradually outgrown the alure of it as I've gotten better and especially since I've never been a drinker. Unfortunately the bar leagues are about the only options for most of us who don't want to travel an hour or two just to play somewhere worth playing on a regular basis.

It also hurts my game IMO. I can definitely notice my game degrading when I play a lot of bar pool due to playing to the level of competition often found there. That and constantly playing on bucket-mouthed 7' Valley tables you tend to lose some of your sharpness compared to when you play on tighter pocketed tables w/deeper shelves.

I'm just counting down the days that I can turn the 2 bedroom addition that we built several years ago into my pool room with a 9' Gold crown. My wife says I have to wait til my 2 older sons are off in college first.:frown: Heck they mostly sleep on the couches anyway I say, but I guess I'll have to wait 3 more years. After that I'll kiss bar pool goodbye except to get my 6 weeks in to qualify for the State Tournament.
 
IA8baller said:
20 yrs ago I thought bar leagues were fun/cool, but I've gradually outgrown the alure of it as I've gotten better and especially since I've never been a drinker. Unfortunately the bar leagues are about the only options for most of us who don't want to travel an hour or two just to play somewhere worth playing on a regular basis.

It also hurts my game IMO. I can definitely notice my game degrading when I play a lot of bar pool due to playing to the level of competition often found there. That and constantly playing on bucket-mouthed 7' Valley tables you tend to lose some of your sharpness compared to when you play on tighter pocketed tables w/deeper shelves.

I'm just counting down the days that I can turn the 2 bedroom addition that we built several years ago into my pool room with a 9' Gold crown. My wife says I have to wait til my 2 older sons are off in college first.:frown: Heck they mostly sleep on the couches anyway I say, but I guess I'll have to wait 3 more years. After that I'll kiss bar pool goodbye except to get my 6 weeks in to qualify for the State Tournament.
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I know exactly what you are saying about in your whole post, it can hurt you or take you right out of your game sometimes. But it beats traveling and sometimes waiting hour to play competition in tournaments. I to have no room in my house until someone goes off on their own. I was going to build on when I bought this house then I got sick and I will never get back to the way I was so bulilding my pool room is just not going to be a option anymore. Well good luck to all in leagues<<<ED
 
ARROWCRUSHER said:
Way to go measureman, lol. I for got to tell you the bar league's aren't a place to consintrate on every shot. A few of the places I have played at were very similar, And then some where nice places and then you will see some places with very nice tables and then you will see some of the worst you could have possibly imagined. I ran into one of those last thursday league , and then again last nights also. But you just have to be able to adapt. One good thing in the leagues I play in is there is no handicaps and it's all heads up shooting so most of the time the better shooter come out on top, oh wait till you match up agaisnt one of those people that really aren't very capable and unintentionally leave you safe every other shot, And still dont have a clue what they have just done ,:rolleyes: , Im sure you will run into those this year to. Well good luck this year and have a good time <<<ED
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Arrowcrusher

The unconcience lucky banger has got to be the most Flustrating thing in pool. Tonight our team plays 5 wives who want socialize together while huby plays on competitive teams. Of course a BIG spot to over come as well, Our league has no limit to team spots. We spot them 15 balls out of a possible 50 per round.

Mesureman

I am not saying sandbag just take it easy on lesser players and pound the better one. I like to play the player and not the game with some of the lesser players, letting them make mistakes instead of pounding them. I might be the big bad wolf, but I don't come off as one that way. Of course some will get out on me and that is part of one race wonders. It also keeps handicaps down. But I am still a 9 in BCA so you can't say I am sandbagging.

Leagues are social events and I have made many great contacts that have saved me money over the years. I think many will lose sight of the fringe benefits of not being the competitive A hole in a league. I love beating those guys and losing to the worst player on thier team just to rub it in. But I am an Old Fart and very little gets me excited on a pool table any more with the exception of sharking.
 
Ball Banger said:
I am not saying sandbag just take it easy on lesser players and pound the better one. I like to play the player and not the game with some of the lesser players, letting them make mistakes instead of pounding them.
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"Taking it easy on lesser players" (i.e. not playing your best) in league play IS sandbagging, no matter what the reason is you are doing it for. It affects the handicap system that will ultimately affect the game-to-game ratio you must win by or how many points you must get to win as opposed to your opponents amount. IMO, league players should ALWAYS play to their best abilities :rolleyes: on any given night to insure that handicaps are properly set. The shame is, it doesn't happen that way and never will. Be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

Maniac
 
Depends who you're playing, what league, etc. At the end of the day if you don't know whether you played well in the match...
I play in a "bar league" division, no handicaps, load 'em up & bring 'em, that'll get your ass kicked for you if you think you're walking into a bunch of bangers. About half of the players are high intermediate & master players in the VNEA. Some of the best players in town have been involved - including Dave Matlock, Gary Serville, Steve Hassell, etc, AND a team full of women intermediate & masters.
So when you decide to call all bar league players bangers - you might want to check where you're standin' when your mouth moves.
 
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Maniac said:
"Taking it easy on lesser players" (i.e. not playing your best) in league play IS sandbagging, no matter what the reason is you are doing it for. It affects the handicap system that will ultimately affect the game-to-game ratio you must win by or how many points you must get to win as opposed to your opponents amount. IMO, league players should ALWAYS play to their best abilities :rolleyes: on any given night to insure that handicaps are properly set. The shame is, it doesn't happen that way and never will. Be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

Maniac
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Maniac

We seem to have a difference of Opinion. Let me see if I understand you correctly.

We should beat up on the lesser players who might only play once a week in leagues and make them feel like Chit so they drop out. That way we only have short stops to play against.

""The shame is, it doesn't happen that way and never will."" Yep and as long as man will be man it won't. But each man will have his reason for doing it that way. Some will be honorable reasons and some won't
 
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To address the handicap issue with a strong player playing "light" against a weaker player.

Just about every handicap system out there worth a damn (this even includes the APA system) will have some sort of "implied" handicap. What that means is, if you are winning and have a winning percentage you will not go down in rank when the sheet shows you playing below your skill level. If you're already at the top of the ranking system and don't really have any higher levels to go to, doesn't make a difference.

In the APA league I play in there are a number of APA 7's (in 8-ball) that have been to Vegas as 7's and they will never go down and they can't go up. When they play APA 2's and 3's (which happens a lot) they like to play softer against them so that they can atleast have a chance at enjoying the match they paid their $7 to play. Is that a bad thing? Helping newer players try to enjoy the game?

It all depends on the circumstances.

Brian
 
btoneill said:
To address the handicap issue with a strong player playing "light" against a weaker player.

Just about every handicap system out there worth a damn (this even includes the APA system) will have some sort of "implied" handicap. What that means is, if you are winning and have a winning percentage you will not go down in rank when the sheet shows you playing below your skill level. If you're already at the top of the ranking system and don't really have any higher levels to go to, doesn't make a difference.

In the APA league I play in there are a number of APA 7's (in 8-ball) that have been to Vegas as 7's and they will never go down and they can't go up. When they play APA 2's and 3's (which happens a lot) they like to play softer against them so that they can atleast have a chance at enjoying the match they paid their $7 to play. Is that a bad thing? Helping newer players try to enjoy the game?

It all depends on the circumstances.

Brian
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This what I know to be fact. My wife is a SL4 in APA 8-ball. Unless she is shooting a safety, she tries her best to make a shot every chance she gets at the table. Now, she commonly has to shoot against men who are SL3's but can obviously shoot better than her. And the reason it's this way is because the handicaps have been manipulated. IMO, nobody should cut anybody any "slack" in any match. It is the Captains responsibility to try to match-up fairly. If SL7's are constantly playing SL2's and 3's, then somebody's Captains are failing them or someone is shooting in the wrong league and should seek a league with tougher opponents.
FWIW, most SL7's I've talked to HATE shooting 2's and 3's in both 8 and 9-ball because of the spots and sometimes the manipulation of the handicaps (in other words, having to spot a guy/girl 4 or 5 games or 30-36 points even though the guy/girl is capable of banking, caroms and multiple ball runs even though their skill level is low). I can't hardly blame the SL7 for not "letting up".
Maybe it's different in your area. Maybe you don't have the problems we have here in the South Arlington APA with both the LO and handicap manipulation (there are about as many men SL3's as there are women SL3's). It's a real problem here and it is frustrating to no end. So much in fact that I constanly think of dropping out from my APA teams. Heck, I've heard teams talking openly about how to "sandbag". I could report this, but it's their word against mine.
I'm not trying to cause a stink with you or Ball Banger. It's just that when I see someone "letting up" in the APA Division that I play in, it gets me a little thin-skinned. You and Ball Banger may feel differently if y'all played in my league and I may feel differently if I played in yours. Like you stated, "It all depends on the circumstances".
Shoot well, my friend!!!

Maniac
 
btoneill said:
To address the handicap issue with a strong player playing "light" against a weaker player.

Just about every handicap system out there worth a damn (this even includes the APA system) will have some sort of "implied" handicap. What that means is, if you are winning and have a winning percentage you will not go down in rank when the sheet shows you playing below your skill level. If you're already at the top of the ranking system and don't really have any higher levels to go to, doesn't make a difference.

In the APA league I play in there are a number of APA 7's (in 8-ball) that have been to Vegas as 7's and they will never go down and they can't go up. When they play APA 2's and 3's (which happens a lot) they like to play softer against them so that they can atleast have a chance at enjoying the match they paid their $7 to play. Is that a bad thing? Helping newer players try to enjoy the game?
It all depends on the circumstances.

Brian
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btoneill

Thanks for the opinion that matches mine. There are Circumstances where you do play Balls to the wall, But lesser speed League players is not one of them.

So you have the Round in the bag and you have to play it out against a Lesser speed player, Why not let them win one game? It makes them and their team mates feel good. It mean one Hell of a lot more to them that they beat you than it does to you. Of course, don't throw a game in a way to look like you did.

BTW One of my tricks is to tie up the table against the Competitive idiot. He has plenty of turns but no shots. Sorry I play people, But only those who deserve to be played and with a straight face as not to tip my hat. I use an excuse I learned from a Diabetic friend. "My sugar level isn't Right"
 
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